


Help Me Out

by sharptongued



Series: Hypnotizing Steve [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hypnosis, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20245840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharptongued/pseuds/sharptongued
Summary: Steve is bored and lonely, so he wanders into Tony's lab. Tony wants Steve to help him try something.





	Help Me Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is a thinly veiled excuse to hypnotize Steve Rogers. I couldn't find any fic that presented it the way I liked, so I wrote it myself. This is gen, preslash if you squint.

Tony was working in his lab, music cranking, sparks flying, just the way he liked it when someone entered. He'd told FRIDAY to autolower the volume when someone came in so he was tipped off before someone stood around waiting for him to realize they were there- which had the dual bonus of having him be able to avoid being startled, and seem more considerate. Double points. He turned away from his project and smiled when he saw Cap standing there, fiddling with assorted scraps and half finished projects on the bench further from Tony, clearly not expecting to be paid attention to right away. Tony watched him; he looked... tired. Not physically necessarily, no bags under those baby blues, but the way he was holding himself, the quiet sadness in his face when he thought no one was looking that Tony had caught more than once. After a minute, Tony cleared his throat, waved. "Hey Cap," he says, voice friendly, easy. They'd patched things up some, worked out their differences by and large... He and Bucky were never going to be friends, and frankly, he was less than comfortable sharing space with him, but Tony could be cordial. His mother would be proud- the chilly politeness of a society girl. And he and Steve... They were alright. They danced around each other some, but friendly, now. Especially for two people that had tried to murder each other.

Steve looks up, smiles at Tony weakly. "Hey yourself," he says- and that's when Tony figures it out- Steve came in here because he's lonely. Nat and Bucky were out on a mission doing whatever really hot Russian ex-murder spies did, Clint is off on some SHIELD opp, strictly need to know shit, Bruce is cleansing his soul at some Doctors Without Borders outpost while there's no impending doom for the Earth, or at least Manhattan, on the menu, Wanda is training with Strange, Sam was back in DC working at the VA, and that just leaves... Them. And the Tower could feel real cavernous when there were this few people in it. At least Tony had his lab to keep him occupied, Rhodey or Pepper if they were free, FRIDAY to chat with, tweak code on. What did Steve have? Graves to visit? Parks to sketch sadly while he sips a coffee? Fuck that was depressing.

"You alright?" Tony asks, and he can do this- can try to offer compassion to a friend of his, even if feelings give him hives.

Steve goes back to looking at what's on the table at the question, grimacing slightly. "I'm fine, y'know, just thought I'd maybe see what you were up to, ask if you wanted to.. I dunno. Get lunch maybe, show me some cultural touchstone that it's clearly a sin against God that I've missed," he answers, bouncing back from his discomfort with banter. Ah, that was good at least. Tony could maybe work with that- maybe they could watch... He didn't know, maybe Top Gun? That was a homoerotic classic that wouldn't be awkward at all. Nope.

Tony's snapped out of his thoughts when Steve's fingers ghost across a tablet screen, causing a spiral to light up on it when it wakes. "What is this, Tone?" Steve asks, picking it up, "You thinking of starting a stage act? The incredible hypnotic Iron Man and his lovely assistant Pepper?"

"I guess they had hypnosis in the Stone Age, silly me to think different," Tony snarks back, a little defensive. He had been looking into alternate methods of relaxation for himself- crawling into a bottle was no longer an option, therapy made him itch, he was a paranoid stoner... Mostly he used breathing exercises as best he could manage, but hypnosis had been a very interesting, and surprisingly fruitful vein of research. Especially when blended with his tech, it could help to revolutionize therapy, the medical field, help people with PTSD and anxiety safely and with less medication- he had gone pretty deep down the rabbit hole in his excitement. And there were other, darker fantasies there too, but they were just that, fantasies, and Tony had put them aside to focus on the real positive scientific potential for what most people would write off as New Age gobbledygook.

"Wow, a Stone Age comment. Been a while for one of those. I touch a nerve with what I said?" Steve says, raising an eyebrow at Tony, the light from the tablet cast over his face as he looks at him.

That's when Tony gets an idea. Maybe he can help Cap feel better- and test his new interest at the same time. "No, I'm sorry, I'm a little edgy. It's just something I've been researching is all-"

Steve cuts in. "Hypnosis? You? You gonna try and make a supervillain bawk like a chicken with a hypno-beam in your suit?"

Tony could bristle, get angry, kick Cap out... Or he could lean into it. "Actually, I'm looking into it as a treatment for anxiety and PTSD- you might know that as shell shock," he replies, and Cap stiffens slightly.

"Jeeze Tony, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make fun if it's something serious. I thought it was something you were just messing around with... y'know, as a gag," Steve says, and he's so contrite Tony almost feels bad.

Almost.

He goes in for the kill.

"Actually, do you think maybe you could be my guinea pig? It might help you relax, and it would do a lot for my research- could help a lot of people."

Steve shifts uneasily, but Tony's pretty sure he's convinced him- if it's for "the greater good", Steve is just about always a sure thing.

"I dunno, Tony... It's pretty weird, and I'm supposed to be resistant to that kind of thing," he says, but his eyes glance down at the tablet, "What would I have to do, exactly?" Got him. 

Tony resists pumping his fist in victory. "Just sit down, get comfortable and watch the screen. I've designed it so it should take you in with little effort on your part, as long as you're not actively fighting against it."

Steve sighs, long suffering, and sits down on Tony's padded work bench. "Fine. But you owe me lunch for this."

"Cap, if it works, I'll take you out to dinner. Anywhere you wanna go."

Steve sighs, grumbling to himself, something about "Better not welch, billionaire," and Tony laughs, goes back to work- but his attention is on Steve. 

He watches Steve watch the spiral diligently, brow furrowed, but he doesn't seem to be relaxing at all. Maybe a little, just at the edges, but not much. Tony finds himself getting up, and he comes to stand behind him, placing his hands gently on Steve's shoulders. Steve starts and turns to look at him, but Tony just smiles. "It can be easier with someone to guide you. I usually have FRI help me, but I know you're not always comfortable with that, so I thought I would offer," he says, and Steve seems to relax slightly. 

"Well... I did say I would try, and I guess I have to do it the right way for me to see if it works or not," he says, and turns his attention back to the swirling image on the tablet, settling under Tony's hands.

"That's it, Cap... Watch the spiral, see the soothing colors swirl and draw you in," Tony starts, and Steve laughs a little. 

"I'm sorry, Tony, it just.. It all seems a little silly," He says, and Tony frowns. 

"Well, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. I just thought it might help, that's all."

Steve frowns, but Tony knows it's at himself, for not making more effort and being a better sport. He recognizes the expression. "You're right. I'm not giving it a chance. You know how stubborn I can be. I'll try to take it more seriously," he says, and now there's a stubborn set to his brow as he locks his eyes on the spiral on the tablet, like he's going to make it work by sheer force of will. 

Tony smiles and resists a laugh- if it was a matter of determination, Steve could level Mt. Everest with a solid glare. He thinks he'll benefit from this now.

"So where were we? Oh yeah- You were looking deep into the center of the spiral for me. Following the swirl down down down into the center, pulling you in, irresistible, like the tides, soft, soothing... Wearing away at you. You're so tense, Steve, but you can feel yourself loosening up, feel all the tension and tightness bleeding off as the spiral draws you down, down to where your mind is quiet and it's safe to let go and relax..." He pauses and looks down at Steve, and his eyes have started to go glassy, his mouth has dropped open, just a little, relaxed from the tight way he held it so much of the time, and his shoulders, usually upright in that military posture, were relaxed under Tony's hands. But even in the short pause, he could feel Steve starting to stir, so he went back to his patter, hoping to take him the rest of the way down.

Tony rubs gently at Steve's shoulders and feels him relax even more at the touch- very promising, he would have to write that down- and then he starts speaking again, still rubbing.

"Focus for me, Steve, that's it, watch the spiral go around and around, dragging you down with it, down into that peacefulness, you can feel it building, the deeper you follow, the more it fills you, good, very good..."

"Yeah... Good," Steve murmurs, and he sways a little under Tony's hands.

Tony figures that's a good a sign as any to take him deeper. "Okay, Steve, we're going to count down together, down from 5, and with every number you're going to fall deeper and deeper into this soft, relaxed feeling until we get to one, and then your eyes will shut and you'll sleep for me. Understand?"

Steve nods, eyes following the spiral, dazed. Tony swallows hard.

"Five, and you're so relaxed, no worries, your eyes feeling heavier, your body warm and languid."

"Five," Steve repeats, and he sighs shakily.

"Four, twice as deep now, safe and warm, soft, following the spiral deeper and deeper.."

"F-four," Steve repeats, and he shivers.

"Three, four times as deep as when we started, so tired, so relaxed, so soft for me, Steve. You can feel yourself sliding downward..."

"T-three," Steve repeats, and Tony sees his eyes flutter, like it's a struggle to keep them open, and his face is slack, open.

"Two, almost there, so deep for me, Steve, so relaxed, you can feel it pulling you, irresistible, you can barely keep your eyes open now, they're so heavy, your body is so soft and tired..."

"Two," Steve breaths, his eyes sliding shut and dragging open desperately, the faint look of a man barely hanging on.

"And one, sleep."

Steve's eyes slam shut and he goes limp under Tony's hands. He almost drops the tablet, and Tony plucks it from his hands gently, places it on the counter.

"Can you hear me?" he asks softly, and Steve nods. It's almost spooky- his eyes are closed, his breathing is even.

"How do you feel, Steve?"

"Good... Open... Relaxed..." he answers, sighing softly.

"Good, that's good. You like the way you feel?"

Steve nods, and blushes.

"Are you embarrassed, Steve?"

He nods again. "Why?" Tony asks, and he goes back to rubbing at Steve's shoulders- that seemed to have helped put him under, maybe it would help him stay there.

"Feels... nice, better than I thought it would... Thought it was... silly..." he confesses.

"And you want to keep feeling nice?" Tony asks.

Steve shifts beneath Tony's hands, there's a pause, then he nods. Tony smiles.

"We're going to give you a special word to take you back here then, okay? You're safe with me," he says, soothing, and what little tension Steve had picked back up seems to run out of him.

"Yeah... Safe with you... Trust you," Steve says softly, and Tony stops dead, almost feels guilty for using Steve like this. But he's helping him, he rationalizes- he's never seen Steve relaxed, not in all the years he's known him.

"Okay Steve, when you hear the word..." Tony wracks his brain to think of something he would never say by mistake, or in passing, "When you hear me say Casablanca, you'll come right back to how you feel now. Understand?"

Steve nods.

"Now I'm going to wake you up, Steve, and you're going to feel refreshed and relaxed. Nice and easy, okay?"

He nods again, and looks almost wistful, like he doesn't want to wake up. Maybe Tony is imagining things- projecting. He likes seeing Steve relaxed like this.

"I'm going to snap my fingers one the count of three, and you're going to wake up. Okay? Ready? One, two, three," Tony says, and he snaps, a loud click of his fingers, and Steve is blinking owlishly, awake and aware like nothing happened.

He turns to look at Tony behind him and seems surprised that he's there. "Did it work? I feel... pretty good," he says, and he's definitely surprised about that.

"Yeah, Cap, you went right under with a little help from yours truly," Tony says with a smile, and Steve blushes, ducks his head. That's... interesting.

Steve stretches and stands. "Well... thanks for helping me relax I guess. I don't want to take up too much of your time, since you're working," he says, and if Tony's a little disappointed at the brush off he keeps it to himself.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, I owe you dinner now. Let me know when you wanna cash in," he says, and Steve offers a smile.

"Sure, Tone. Will do."

And with that he scurries out of the lab like something's chasing him. Huh. Interesting.

Tony goes back to his work, humming "As Time Goes By" to himself. There's always dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is. I have ideas for continuation- two paths, nice and sweet, or dark and edging into dub-con. Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see a continuation in the comments. :)


End file.
